Progress Report

Healing continues, I am in the brace for another three weeks, to allow the titanium, muscles and bone to get to know one another in my spine. Hopefully X-rays on the 29th will show progress and the brace can come off.

I am so happy to report that I am experiencing changes in sensation in my feet. I have described the feeling on the bottom of my feet as feeling like stepping in tar on the beach, or mud dried on the bottom of your feet, or like walking on bubble wrap.  Well, it is far from total, but I am starting to feel the carpet in parts of the bottom of my feet.  More so on the left, then the right (the nerve compromise was greater on my right then my left.) This makes it easier to walk, and even more important improves my balance.  I worked with a physical therapist twice this week.  She was testing my balance and working me through exercises to improve my balance.  She noticed a marked improvement in balance between Wednesday and Friday.  I can tell you why, I have more feeling in the bottom of my feet. It is amazing how much your toes have to do with standing up and moving.

The change in sensation in my feet was complicated.  I wouldn't describe it as numbness, if you touched my feet, for the most part I could feel it, but it felt strange - tingling - and odd. The first thing to come back was being able to tell what direction my toes were being bent, that happened in the hospital over the first 10 days after the surgery.  The doctors tell me that sensation may return over a period of months or even years.  I'll take it any way and any time I can.  It may never return to normal, but just this little change increases what I can do.